Decorative valances



l 1956 G. A. PIONTKOWSKI 2,763,875

DECORATIVE VALANCES Filed Jan. 25, 1954 9 8 Fig. 3

INVENTOR- Geneviev e A..Pionik0W-Ski F19. 5 Q 5 V VFW:

ATTORNEYS DECORATIVE VALANCES Genevieve A. Piontkowski, Cleveland, Qhio Application January 25, 1954, Serial No. 405,761

2 Claims. (Cl. 333) The present invention relates to decorative valances for beds and more particularly to a decorative cover for the rectangular box springs or other springs of a bed on which the mattress is supported.

According to the present invention, a cover is provided for the springs of a bed, said cover having a plurality of suitably spaced snap fasteners for supporting decorative valances. When the cover is properly placed on the spring and a rectangular mattress is placed on top of the spring, the end portions of the cover on which the snap fasteners are located are in a vertical position and the snap fasteners are located just below the upper surface of the box spring and out of contact with the mattress.

Strips of cloth or other suitable material are used to provide pleated valances that extend from the upper edge portion of the spring substantially to the floor. The valances extend the full length of the bed on both sides thereof and the full width of the bed at the foot thereof and are detachably connected to the spring by the abovedescribed cover and snap fasteners. Such an arrangement permits attachment of valances of any material, style, color or design, or detachment for laundering without disturbing the mattress or disrupting the bed clothes.

Objects of the present invention are to provide simple and inexpensive valances which may easily be removed for laundering without disturbing the mattress or the bedding thereon and to provide an inexpensive detachable cover for the springs of a bed to support decorative valances on the bed below the mattress.

Other objects, uses and advantages will become apparent from the following description and from the drawings in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a bed with the mattress removed provided with decorative valances;

Figure 2 is a perspective view on the same scale as Fig. 1 showing a box spring for the bed with the valances detached therefrom;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line indicated at 33 in Fig. 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing details of the snap fasteners and the box spring cover used to attach the valances to the box springs; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevational view taken on the line indicated at 5-5 in Fig. 4 showing the tape that supports the snap fasteners on the box spring cover.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which like parts are identified with the same numerals throughout the several views, Figure 1 shows a conventional type of bed including a headboard 1 attached to a supporting frame and a removable rectangular box spring 2 carried by the frame. The box spring has a horizontal upper surface and vertical side and end walls and normally supports a rectangular mattress on its upper surface with the side and end walls of the mattress vertically aligned with the side and end walls of the spring. The mattress, whose normal position is shown in dot-dash lines in Fig. 1, ordinarily carries blankets, sheets and other bed 2,763,875 Patented Sept. 25, 1956 clothes that may be tucked under the mattress between the mattress and the box spring.

Heretofore, it has been customary to place a decorative bed spread over the bedding on the mattress to cover the mattress and the side and end walls of the mattress and the box spring. However, such a bed spread must be rearranged every time the bed clothes are changed and is easily wrinkled or soiled if it is not removed when a person sleeps in the bed.

According to the present invention, the bed is provided with a detachable cover of woven fabric or other suitable material that fits over the box spring and supports a detachable decorative valance. Such a valance does not interfere with the bedclothes and facilitates making of the bed.

As herein shown, a box spring cover 3 is provided on the box spring 2. Said cover has a horizontal rectangular top portion 4 between the mattress and the box spring that engages substantially the entire upper surface of said spring and also has vertical marginal portions 5 and 6 covering the entire surface of the side walls and an end wall of the box spring 2. Extending inwardly from the bottom edges of the marginal portions substantially throughout the lengths thereof are horizontal bottom portions 7 that are adapted to slide over the box spring for detachably holding the cover 3 on the spring.

The portions 7 preferably cover only the marginal bottom portions of the box spring and are preferably joined by an extensible elastic band 'orgdraw 'str in'g'8 so that the cover may easily be placed on or removed "from the spring. The band 8 is attached to the portions 7 by suitable stitching 9, as shown in Fig. 3.

'Each of the marginal portions 5 and 6 is provided with an inner strip of tape 10 that extends the entire length of that portion parallel to and 'just below {the upper edge thereof.

strip. Said strips are attached to each other by any suitable detachable fasteners, such as for example, a row of regularly spaced snap fasteners which may be readily separated to permit removal of the outer tape from the spring cover '2. a

Various types of detachable fasteners may be used but it is preferable to employ a grommet-type fastener wherein a rigid metal stud is held in an expansible socket. A conventional type of fastener is shown in Fig. 4 Wherein one of the tapes is provided with a row of regularly spaced sheet metal sockets 12 that are adapted to be resiliently enlarged by expansive pressure exerted upon the walls thereof and the other tape is provided at simi larly spaced intervals with relatively rigid metal studs 13 having heads of slightly greater cross-sectional area than that of the openings of the sockets 12. Each row of snap fasteners extends the full length of the inner and outer tapes and supports a detachable decorative valance 14 of corresponding length.

Each valance 14 comprises a rectangular strip of uniform width that extends from the top of the spring cover 2 substantially to the floor as shown in Fig. 1. Each valance is preferably provided with a hem 15 at its top edge and a plurality of pleats or rufiles 16 throughout its length. Three detachable valances 14 are usually provided to decorate the sides and one end of the bed as shown in Fig. 2, said valances engaging each other to completely hide the spring and the frame of the bed from view.

Figure 4 clearly illustrates how each valance may be attached to and detached from the box spring cover 3. The outer tape 11 is folded back upon itself and is stitched together in a manner well understood in the art so as to properly support a row of studs 13. The inner tape 19 is similarly folded and sewed to locate and support a row An outer strip of tape '11 of the same length is provided to cover the surface of the inner of sockets 13 adapted to receive the studs 13. The tape 10 may then be attached to each marginal portion of the cover 3 slightly below the top edge thereof by parallel rows of stitching 17. The tape 11 may be attached to each valance 14 near the top edge thereof in a similar manner by a row of stitching 18. It will be understood that the position of the tape 11 on each valance 14 is such that the top edge of the valance is parallel to and substantially adjacent the upper edge portion of the cover 3 when it is placed on the bed.

The valances may be made of any suitable decorative material, such as cloth, paper, plastic, or other satisfactory thin material. By having valances of uniform width and having the detachable fasteners supported along the sides and ends of the box spring at a uniform height, the valances can be arranged to hang without sagging and be of the desired height all along the bed.

When the mattress is placed onthe bed over the cover 3 and the valances 14, it is possible to place bedding on the mattress and to tuck the ends thereof between the mattress and the box spring without disturbing the valances. Also, after the bed has been made, it is possible to remove the valances for laundering and/or to replace the valances with valances of a different style or a different color without disturbing the bed clothes on the mattress.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a bed having a supporting frame, a rectangular spring with a horizontal upper surface and substantially vertical rectangular side and end walls, and a rectangular mattress supported on the upper surface of said spring, the improvement which comprises: a detachable woven fabric cover having a horizontal rectangular top portion engaging substantially the entire upper surface of said spring and having vertical rectangular marginal portions engaging side and end walls of said spring, said cover having horizontal bottom portions below said spring extending inwardly from said end portions and elastic means to hold said bottom portions against the bottom of said spring, an inner strip of tape extending substantially the entire length of each marginal portion, said tape being spaced from said top portion and being secured to the marginal portion near the upper edge thereof, an outer strip of tape of similar length adapted to cover the surface of each inner strip, one of said strips having a plurality of suitably spaced sockets along its length adapted to be resiliently enlarged by expansive pressure exerted upon the walls thereof and the other strip being provided at similarly spaced intervals with relatively rigid studs having heads of slightly greater crosssectional area than that of the sockets, a decorative valance attached to each outer strip and extending the length thereof, the top edges of said valances extending upwardly at least to the level of said horizontal rectangular top portion of said spring cover, each of said valances comprising a pleated woven fabric strip of uniform width that extends from the upper surface of said cover substantially to the floor.

2. A decorative bed covering comprising a woven fabric spring cover having a horizontal rectangular top portion, vertical rectangular marginal portions extending the full length and width of said top portion, substantially horizontal bottom portions extending inwardly from each of the marginal portions for retaining the cover on the bed, and means for pulling said bottom portions inwardly, said cover having an inner strip of tape extending substantially the entire length of each marginal portion and engaging the exterior of said marginal portion near the upper edge thereof, an outer strip of tape associated with each inner strip and extending the full length thereof, one of said strips of tape having a row of suitably spaced sockets along its length adapted to be resiliently enlarged by expansive pressure exerted upon the wall thereof and its associated strip being provided at similarly spaced intervals with relatively rigid studs having beads of slightly greater cross-sectional area than that of the sockets, and a decorative valance attached to each outer strip and extending the length thereof, said strips being below and spaced from the upper edge of said valance so as to be hidden from view by said valance, said valance extending upwardly at least to the level of said horizontal rectangular top portion of said spring cover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,270,414 Hoit June 25, 1918 2,075,060 Roseman Mar. 30, 1937 2,619,658 Weinberg Dec. 2, 1952 2,641,001 Krasnov June 9, 1953 2,696,872 Kurland et a1. Dec. 14, 1954 

